The role of team behavioral integration and cohesion in shaping individual improvisation

The notion of improvisation has recently emerged in managerial studies as a viable answer to flexibly dealing with unexpected occurrences. Nonetheless, research on improvisation has essentially approached the issue through a metaphorical framework, and has regularly relied on conceptual frameworks residing either at the individual or the team-level. We investigate how team-level processes affect individual improvisation in complex project domains. Using data from 138 team leaders and members belonging to 38 information systems development teams, we test cross-level hypotheses through hierarchical linear modeling. Team behavioral integration and team cohesion positively affect individual improvisation. Moreover, cohesion positively moderates the influence of team behavioral integration on individual improvisation. In concluding this paper we offer theoretical and practical implications. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.